concerned; indeed,
if he is not disturbed, he sits immovably altogether, and sleeps. When
he is disturbed he wakes in instalments, opening one eye at a time. He
fixes you with his wild, fiery eye, his indignant stare. Start to walk
round him; the head turns, and the stare follows you, with no movement
whatever of the part containing the pepper. The head slowly turns and
turns, without the smallest indication of stopping anywhere. I never
tempted it farther than once round, but walked back the other way, for
fear of strangling a valuable bird. Besides, I remembered an owl
pepper-box once, which became loose in the screw through continual
turning, so that the head fell off into your plate, and all the pepper
after it.

[Illustration]

The biggest owls are the eagle-owls. The eagle-owls here occupy a
similar sort of situation to that of the hermit in an old tea-garden. In
a secluded nook behind the camel-house a brick-built cave is kept in a
wire cage, which not only hinders the owls from escaping, but prevents
them taking the cave with them if they do. The cave is fitted up with
the proper quantity of weird gloom and several convenient perches; the
perches, however, are indistinct, because the gloom is obvious. In the
midst of it you may see two fiery eyes, like the fire-balls from a Roman
candle, and nothing else. This is the most one often has a chance of
seeing here in bright day. Often the eagle-owls are asleep, and then you
do not even see the fireworks. I know the big eagle-owl fairly well;
that is to say, I am on snarling terms with him. But once he has settled
in his cave he won't come out, even when I call him Zadkiel.

[Illustration: THE EAGLE-OWLS' RETREAT.]

There is nothing much more grotesque than a row of small barn owls, just
awakened from sleep and curious about the disturber. There is something
about the odd gaze and twist of the neck that irresistibly reminds me of
an illustration in an Old Saxon or Early English manuscript.

[Illustration: SLEEP.]

[Illustration: WHO SAID RATS?]

[Illustration: THE ANGOLA.]

I am not particularly friendly with any of the vultures. Walk past their
cages with the determination to ingratiate yourself with them. You will
change your mind. There are very few birds that I should not like to
keep as pets if I had the room, but the vulture is the first of them. I
don't know any kind of vulture whose personal appearance wouldn't hang
him at a court of Judge Lynch. The